ROCK FEST READY TO RUMBLE

By Graham Potter | Thursday, November 12, 2026

The Daniel and Ben Pearce trained Rock Fest is all the rage in the betting for the $200 000 R J Peters Stakes, a Group 3 contest over 1500m in which the winner will earn the significant bonus of a ballot free entry into the $1.5 million Group 1 Railway Stakes on November 21.

For quite some time Rock Fest remained behind the scenes with the stable giving him three trials between March 31 and August 11, 2025, before setting the son of Awesome Rock for race action where the Pearce Training Partnership’s patience paid immediate dividends as Rock Fest cruised in by a casual 5.63 length on debut over 1200m on soft going … and then followed up, just ten days later, with a second success, this time over 1400m on heavy going.

After a freshen-up, Rock Fest twice tackled feature race company … firstly in the Listed Fairetha Stakes, again over 1400m, and then in the Group 2 WA Guineas over 1600m. He finished in third place in those two starts, which were both won by one of Western Australia’s star performers King Of Light whose career record currently stands at eight ins from nine starts up to Group 2 level.

Rock Fest thus finished his three-year-old season (he did not race as a two-year-old) with two wins and two Black Type placings from four starts.

After an eleven month break from race action, Rock Fest began his four-year-old campaign exactly as he had started his three-year-old season … with back-to back wins, both in RTG 66+ contests, firstly over 1200m in good going, then over 1400m on soft going.

So, unbeaten in two starts as a four-year-old … already a winner over both 1200m and 1400m and with a solid run over 1600m in feature race company also under his belt … and with wins on all of good, soft and heavy going behind his name … two of which were at Ascot … it is easy to see why a horse who is seemingly powering on to better things is the medium of such strong support.

Western Miss could be the one to give Rock Fest a run for his money. Like Rock Fest, the Michael Grantham trained / Willie Pike partnered chestnut will be bidding to complete of hat-trick of wins at Ascot after striking over 1400m and 1600m in his last two starts.

The difference is that Western Miss has yet to taste feature race action, which means she does have the opportunity to make a statement here.

And a third runner, the Daniel Morton trained Too Darn Stormy will also be out to make it three-in-a-row.

He won at Kalgoorlie over 1300m two runs back and then was allowed to start at $9 when he came back to Ascot, where he has won before, and landed a win in an RTG 72+ contest. He is currently a $26 chance … as is Zipaway, who is worth a second glance at that price after finishing second to Hot And High in the Group 3 Asian Beau when last in action.

He could well prove to be the value bet of the race although, as top weight he has to give between 1.5kg and 5kg to all of his rivals, a factor which does complicate his task.

Awesome Boy, who finished second to Hot And High in the Listed RS Crawford stakes is also not out of it if at his best.